The Baltic plan was technically possible but unsound in the form commonly associated with Fisher. A fleet entering confined Baltic waters would lose much of the maneuver freedom that normally protects sea power. It would approach German submarine bases, minefields, torpedo boats, light forces, and prepared coastal defenses where those threats were strongest. HMS Courageous, HMS Glorious, and HMS Furious show that Fisher shaped ships around the idea, but their existence does not make the operation strategically sound. A similar proposal for an Anglo-Japanese fleet to resupply Russia through the Baltic in 1940 faces the same geographic problem. Contemporary technology might have supported a different operation, while Fisher's intended method exposed valuable ships to disproportionate losses for doubtful strategic return.
Notable Point · 39:00-41:46
Baltic-plan risk in narrow waters
The proposed Baltic operation is judged technically possible but strategically unsound because it would move British strength into Germany's most favorable local environment.